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What's not in stock?

DanHolohan
DanHolohan Member, Moderator, Administrator Posts: 16,513
What isn't your wholesaler stocking that you think they should be stocking? And what are you doing about it?
Retired and loving it.
«1

Comments

  • ChrisJ
    ChrisJ Member Posts: 15,588
    Supplyhouse.com is about to be mentioned a few times.
    Single pipe quasi-vapor system. Typical operating pressure 0.14 - 0.43 oz. EcoSteam ES-20 Advanced Control for Residential Steam boilers. Rectorseal Steamaster water treatment
    mattmia2KC_Jones
  • STEAM DOCTOR
    STEAM DOCTOR Member Posts: 1,951
    American made fittings and pipe
    BillyOB_SloaneIntplm.
  • hot_rod
    hot_rod Member Posts: 22,022
    hydronic knowledge!

    Although I visit suppliers that do a great job and prioritize training for their staff, dedicate a hydronics division. Dennis B comes to mind:)

    There is a lot to know these days with complicated HVAC and boiler technology, many suppliers have multiple boiler and furnace, AC lines that all need dedicated training.
    Knowing that hydronics is a small % of the market, they balance time and energy spent compared to all the other products they offer.

    Myself and most hydronic manufacturers and our reps have training available, in person, online, at rep locations, via manuals.
    Bob "hot rod" Rohr
    trainer for Caleffi NA
    Living the hydronic dream
    Solid_Fuel_ManSuperTechkcopp
  • rick in Alaska
    rick in Alaska Member Posts: 1,457
    Anything related to any kind of repair part for any kind of heating unit. Any time I have a unit go down, the typical answer is, we can order it. Usually about $60 for freight. I got a freight charge for a control board out of Canada the other day for $190.00.
    But, nothing worse than having a piece of equipment go down, and the supplier carries no replacement parts. I did manage to get most of the parts needed to fix the York furnaces that I was installing, but then my supplier changed brands. Now I have to restock more parts.
    Rick
  • hot_rod
    hot_rod Member Posts: 22,022

    Anything related to any kind of repair part for any kind of heating unit. Any time I have a unit go down, the typical answer is, we can order it. Usually about $60 for freight. I got a freight charge for a control board out of Canada the other day for $190.00.
    But, nothing worse than having a piece of equipment go down, and the supplier carries no replacement parts. I did manage to get most of the parts needed to fix the York furnaces that I was installing, but then my supplier changed brands. Now I have to restock more parts.
    Rick

    A contractor friend of ours out there on the Kenai, you know him :) I believe he has more hydronic inventory in his shop than all the suppliers on the peninsula combined.
    Your customer should be charged accordingly for you to inventory all the crucial installation and spare parts.

    Bob "hot rod" Rohr
    trainer for Caleffi NA
    Living the hydronic dream
  • rick in Alaska
    rick in Alaska Member Posts: 1,457
    hot_rod said:

    Anything related to any kind of repair part for any kind of heating unit. Any time I have a unit go down, the typical answer is, we can order it. Usually about $60 for freight. I got a freight charge for a control board out of Canada the other day for $190.00.
    But, nothing worse than having a piece of equipment go down, and the supplier carries no replacement parts. I did manage to get most of the parts needed to fix the York furnaces that I was installing, but then my supplier changed brands. Now I have to restock more parts.
    Rick

    A contractor friend of ours out there on the Kenai, you know him :) I believe he has more hydronic inventory in his shop than all the suppliers on the peninsula combined.
    Your customer should be charged accordingly for you to inventory all the crucial installation and spare parts.

    Must be John. I know he has a LOT more Poly Pro exhaust ( I believe it to be that brand) than any supplier. I did my first radiant job with him on a church here. I wish I could work with him for a year or so. He is very knowledgeable, and is great at innovation.
    Rick
  • SuperTech
    SuperTech Member Posts: 2,139
    My local supply houses are seriously lacking any Caleffi products. I asked one popular plumbing and heating supplier if they had an 1-1/4" dirtmag and he looked at me like I have two heads. Sadly I had to explain it to the guy what a dirtmag is only to get the response "what the hell do ya need that for?"
  • hot_rod
    hot_rod Member Posts: 22,022
    SuperTech said:

    My local supply houses are seriously lacking any Caleffi products. I asked one popular plumbing and heating supplier if they had an 1-1/4" dirtmag and he looked at me like I have two heads. Sadly I had to explain it to the guy what a dirtmag is only to get the response "what the hell do ya need that for?"

    And they probably wonder why contractors shop online:)

    Bob "hot rod" Rohr
    trainer for Caleffi NA
    Living the hydronic dream
    Robert O'Brien
  • Hap_Hazzard
    Hap_Hazzard Member Posts: 2,846
    Just another DIYer | King of Prussia, PA
    1983(?) Peerless G-561-W-S | 3" drop header, CG400-1090, VXT-24
  • ratio
    ratio Member Posts: 3,615
    Not in stock, <sigh>
    kcoppBillyOSuperTech
  • EBEBRATT-Ed
    EBEBRATT-Ed Member Posts: 15,453
    Mod Con parts are $$$$ and supply house's don't stock a lot of parts. Hard to tell you customer he wont have heat in the dead of winter for 3 days waiting for parts.

    Not like the cast Iron stuff if the boiler holds water you could get it running somehow
    BillyOSuperTech
  • BillyO
    BillyO Member Posts: 277
    Staten Island very little Caleffi, No one stocks any radiant Manifolds over here
    JohnNY
  • mikeg2015
    mikeg2015 Member Posts: 1,194
    We no longer even have a local supply house. Just a pipe supply wholesaler, but they have no hydronic parts. Our supply house closed the local shop to save money so only get a truck 2x a week normally.

    Might as well use Supplyhouse.com. They are usually cheaper and often quicker. Plus it;s quick to just do it electronically and not talk to a person that 1in10 will screw up my order anyway.
    BillyOGroundUp
  • JohnNY
    JohnNY Member Posts: 3,226
    Acid neutralizer media.
    Solid concrete blocks
    Contact John "JohnNY" Cataneo, NYC Master Plumber, Lic 1784
    Consulting & Troubleshooting
    Heating in NYC or NJ.
    Classes
  • BillyO
    BillyO Member Posts: 277
    zilmet tanks, anything Viega
  • GroundUp
    GroundUp Member Posts: 1,889
    Pretty much anything I need, they don't have it or only have half the quantity. I've got to travel 100 miles for a supply house that has anything. Boiler of any brand? Gotta order it. 1" sweat 90's? Sorry we only have 2. Three way thermostatic mixing valve? What's that? Lucky for me I don't do service, besides for my own home and rental properties, but even that's a problem. I had a Goodman furnace crap out an inducer motor a couple months ago and I was able to find one in the back warehouse of a tiny little hardware store 50 miles away, but otherwise there wasn't even one in the state. I made at least 100 phone calls trying to find it and nobody had one, and they sure weren't going to take one off a new unit in stock. I paid double to get it from that hardware store versus online but of course it was -20F when it failed and I needed it NOW, not 3 days from now
  • unclejohn
    unclejohn Member Posts: 1,833
    I think I posted this before but back in the day when there were only about 6 supply houses in the DC metro area they had what you needed and would often bring it to you. A belated thank you to Gus and Herman at G&H Supply.
    PS. My credit application back then was a talk with Gus. John are you going to pay your bill at the end of the month in full? Me Yes. Ok you have credit.
    ratioIronman
  • Gordo
    Gordo Member Posts: 856
    unclejohn said:

    I think I posted this before but back in the day when there were only about 6 supply houses in the DC metro area they had what you needed and would often bring it to you. A belated thank you to Gus and Herman at G&H Supply.
    PS. My credit application back then was a talk with Gus. John are you going to pay your bill at the end of the month in full? Me Yes. Ok you have credit.

    Ah, credit applications! One local/regional supply house handed me a 6 page credit application. One of the questions was: What was the name of my spouse? I wrote in "She, Who Must Be Obeyed".
    We got the credit line okayed with no questions.
    All Steamed Up, Inc.
    "Reducing our country's energy consumption, one system at a time"
    Steam, Vapor & Hot-Water Heating Specialists
    Oil & Gas Burner Service
    Baltimore, MD (USA) and consulting anywhere.
    https://heatinghelp.com/find-a-contractor/detail/all-steamed-up-inc
    icy78CanuckerIronmanSuperTech
  • rick in Alaska
    rick in Alaska Member Posts: 1,457
    I guess the big question is, who is the seller? You, or your wholesaler. I think it should be the wholesaler, but it looks more and more like they think we should be the ones. When I put something in, I have a hard time getting that extra $1200 or so to stock the parts for it. Especially when the wholesaler keeps juggling lines around. Now you have a massive amount of money sitting in spare parts for all the various units out there. I wish I could, but just don't have that kind of available cash flow.
    Rick
    Gordounclejohn
  • Gordo
    Gordo Member Posts: 856
    edited March 2020
    ...And haven't we all heard this line from the wholesaler:
    "We're not stocking those parts 'cuz you're the only one asking for them."?
    All Steamed Up, Inc.
    "Reducing our country's energy consumption, one system at a time"
    Steam, Vapor & Hot-Water Heating Specialists
    Oil & Gas Burner Service
    Baltimore, MD (USA) and consulting anywhere.
    https://heatinghelp.com/find-a-contractor/detail/all-steamed-up-inc
    IronmanHap_Hazzard
  • Intplm.
    Intplm. Member Posts: 1,883
    Trained and knowledgeable employees............sigh......
  • Mike_Sheppard
    Mike_Sheppard Member Posts: 696
    I keep lists of vendors and what they stock. And parts I need for different commercial boilers / water heaters and where I could find them. It’s not uncommon to have to drive a few hours to find something. Sometimes have to hit multiple supply houses to get the parts for one job. Also lots of the time have to overnight ship parts.
    Never stop learning.
  • hot_rod
    hot_rod Member Posts: 22,022

    I guess the big question is, who is the seller? You, or your wholesaler. I think it should be the wholesaler, but it looks more and more like they think we should be the ones. When I put something in, I have a hard time getting that extra $1200 or so to stock the parts for it. Especially when the wholesaler keeps juggling lines around. Now you have a massive amount of money sitting in spare parts for all the various units out there. I wish I could, but just don't have that kind of available cash flow.
    Rick

    I've been to wholesalers that sell 6 different brands of boilers. Imagine across all the models and vintages, and how many parts like circuit boards and inducers, gas valves would need to be stocked!
    When I finally settled in on a brand and model, I kept a complete boiler as a parts back up. It would be helpful for common consumable parts to cover an entire size range of a boiler model.

    Bob "hot rod" Rohr
    trainer for Caleffi NA
    Living the hydronic dream
    GroundUp
  • SeanBeans
    SeanBeans Member Posts: 520
    They barely have anything in cast near me, also reducing 90s seem to be hard to come byin The bigger sizes
  • SeanBeans
    SeanBeans Member Posts: 520
    Drop cloths, magnetic dirt separators, no one has even heard a Gorton vent or big mouth.
    SuperTech
  • PerryHolzman
    PerryHolzman Member Posts: 234
    I'm a homeowner... who has had to find where to find parts. So my experience is limited. However, may I offer "Common Sense" as the most common thing not in stock?

    Perry
    Larry WeingartenBillyO
  • Larry Weingarten
    Larry Weingarten Member Posts: 3,273
    Hi, I used to be unable to find anodes anywhere, so helped a friend start up an internet business selling anodes and such. Now I can always get them! :)

    Yours, Larry
    ratioMikeL_2Erin Holohan Haskell
  • Gman66
    Gman66 Member Posts: 42
    Whats not in stock??? Eggs, Milk, Meat and Toilet Paper!! The residents of NJ have gone crazy with the pandemic. Stay safe folks.
  • MikeL_2
    MikeL_2 Member Posts: 486
    Finding those who possess & practice common sense is getting harder; I propose a name change to " uncommon sense ".
  • bob eck
    bob eck Member Posts: 930
    Some on here say they are installing condensing combi boilers and heat only condensing boilers and you have trouble sourcing parts.
    Is anyone that is installing combi boilers also installing a electric water heater. Combi boiler makes domestic hot water then dump it into the electric water heater. When the combi boiler goes down at least the home owner would still have hot domestic water for showering while you get parts to fix the combi boiler.

    Some heating professionals prefer to put a boiler in with a indirect water heater. What happens when the boiler goes down the home owners is out of domestic hot water while the contractor finds parts to fix the boiler.

    Does any indirect water heater manufacturer build a indirect water heater with electric elements as back up in 40 and 50 gallon sizes?

    There are solar water heaters built with one coil and one element but the smallest size I believe is 65 gallon.
  • hot_rod
    hot_rod Member Posts: 22,022
    bob eck said:

    Some on here say they are installing condensing combi boilers and heat only condensing boilers and you have trouble sourcing parts.

    Is anyone that is installing combi boilers also installing a electric water heater. Combi boiler makes domestic hot water then dump it into the electric water heater. When the combi boiler goes down at least the home owner would still have hot domestic water for showering while you get parts to fix the combi boiler.



    Some heating professionals prefer to put a boiler in with a indirect water heater. What happens when the boiler goes down the home owners is out of domestic hot water while the contractor finds parts to fix the boiler.



    Does any indirect water heater manufacturer build a indirect water heater with electric elements as back up in 40 and 50 gallon sizes?



    There are solar water heaters built with one coil and one element but the smallest size I believe is 65 gallon.

    Yes it is a good idea when shopping indirects to buy one with the electric element installed. We still offer 50, 80 and 119 gallon. single, dual coil with or without element. I think most all the HW tank manufacturers have solar tanks available if you dig deep enough.
    Same goes for buffer tanks, add an element for some backup source.
    Bob "hot rod" Rohr
    trainer for Caleffi NA
    Living the hydronic dream
  • Ironman
    Ironman Member Posts: 7,367
    hot_rod said:

    bob eck said:

    Some on here say they are installing condensing combi boilers and heat only condensing boilers and you have trouble sourcing parts.

    Is anyone that is installing combi boilers also installing a electric water heater. Combi boiler makes domestic hot water then dump it into the electric water heater. When the combi boiler goes down at least the home owner would still have hot domestic water for showering while you get parts to fix the combi boiler.



    Some heating professionals prefer to put a boiler in with a indirect water heater. What happens when the boiler goes down the home owners is out of domestic hot water while the contractor finds parts to fix the boiler.



    Does any indirect water heater manufacturer build a indirect water heater with electric elements as back up in 40 and 50 gallon sizes?



    There are solar water heaters built with one coil and one element but the smallest size I believe is 65 gallon.

    Yes it is a good idea when shopping indirects to buy one with the electric element installed. We still offer 50, 80 and 119 gallon. single, dual coil with or without element. I think most all the HW tank manufacturers have solar tanks available if you dig deep enough.
    Same goes for buffer tanks, add an element for some backup source.
    This is a great idea and one that we've occasionally been able to impliment. The problem is this: it's usually too expensive to find/purchase an indirect with a back up element. I can buy an additional electric water heater for less than the indirect with a backup element. But doing that would unnecessarily complicate a system.

    Bob Boan
    You can choose to do what you want, but you cannot choose the consequences.
    STEVEusaPA
  • hot_rod
    hot_rod Member Posts: 22,022
    Menards shows an 80 Rheem Solaraide with element for less $ than the H Depot 45 SSU? I prefer glass lined tanks for DHW these days. Wholesaler prices may be better? Should be able to source that Rheem from any Rheem dealer.

    Nice about the Rheem is the coil wraps on the outside, passes the double walled requirement, I think.
    Bob "hot rod" Rohr
    trainer for Caleffi NA
    Living the hydronic dream
    GroundUp
  • bob eck
    bob eck Member Posts: 930
    Vaughn solar tank.

    imagejpeg_0.jpg
  • hot_rod
    hot_rod Member Posts: 22,022
    In my area those older Vaughn or Ford cement lined tanks lasted 30 years. Is the quality and weight the same?
    Bob "hot rod" Rohr
    trainer for Caleffi NA
    Living the hydronic dream
  • bob eck
    bob eck Member Posts: 930
    http://www.vaughncorp.com/downloads/catalogs/solarbrochure.pdf

    Here is the Vaughn Solar water heater.
    One coil with one 4500 W element
  • PerryHolzman
    PerryHolzman Member Posts: 234
  • HomerJSmith
    HomerJSmith Member Posts: 2,426

    ratiounclejohnIntplm.